Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew vol 1.djvu/189

 mutability of Animal Types” (London, 1882). The second son of the founder was he celebrated Rev. Dr. Pusey (see Chapter XII.); and the third son is Rev. William Bouverie Pusey, M.A., Rector of Langley, Kent, born 14th May 1810. The crest of he Pusey family is “a cat, passant.”

[For other descendants of the refugee, Des Bouveries, see Chapter XL]  

The noun houblon, in French, means hops; on the heraldic shield of the Houblon family there are three poles with hops growing round them. There appears to have been no refugee of that name resident in London in 1571.

To the Government loan of 1588 the strangers subscribed £4900. Mr Burn History, page 11) prints the subscription list, from which it appears that Lewis Sayes contributed £100, Vincent de la Bar £100, and John Hublone £100. Strype, in his Annals, vol. iii., page 517, records the preparations for encountering the Spanish Armada, and says, “The Queen took up great sums of money of her city of London, which they lent her readily, each merchant and citizen according to his ability. And so did the strangers also, both merchants and tradesmen, that came to inhabit here for their business or liberty of the Protestant religion, in all to the sum of £4900. Whereof among the strangers, John Houblon was one, of whose pedigree (no question) is the present worshipful spreading family of that name.”

I find the name for the first time in 1583, when Peter Houblon was a witness to a testamentary declaration, and was styled, “a merchant-stranger, aged 26.” This is the Peter Houblon who at his son’s funeral was eulogized as “a confessor” (a refugee from the Duke of Alva’s fury) by Bishop Burnet. (See my Chapter II.) In Alva’s vice-royalty, however, he was only eleven years of age. Perhaps his father was the above-named John Houblon, and he may have been brought to England by him during the long-continued persecutions usually associated with Duke Alva’s name.

I conjecture (see my Chapter XV.) that Peter Houblon had three sons, James, Peter, and Paul; but as the two latter did not marry Du Quesnes, I am not informed concerning them. The eldest son, James Houblon, was born on 2d July 1592, and was baptized in the City of London French Church, where in after-life he was an ancien. In November 1620 he married Marie Du Quesne, a daughter in a refugee family represented by the modern house of Du Cane, and had ten sons and two daughters. A daughter or daughter-in-law is praised by Pepys in 1665 in these terms, “a fine gentlewoman,” and ”she do sing very well.” On 5th February 1666 he extols “the five brothers Houblon,” — “mighty fine gentlemen they are all.” Again Pepys writes, 14th February 1668, “It was a mighty pretty sight to see old Mr Houblon (whom I never saw before), and all his sons about him, all good merchants.” The brothers seem to have been much together. At an earlier date, 15th May 1666, Pepys wrote thus:— “The five brothers Houblon came and Mr Hill to my house; and a very good supper we had, and very good discourse with great pleasure. My new plate sets off my cupboard very nobly. Here they were till about eleven at night; and a fine sight it is to see these five brothers thus loving one to another, and all industrious merchants.” The other great diarist, John Evelyn, wrote as to 16th January 1679, “I supped this night with Mr Secretary at one Mr Houblon’s, a French merchant, who had his house furnished en Prince, and gave us a splendid entertainment.” The venerable Mr James Houblon, known as he Father of the Royal Exchange, died on Tuesday, 20th June 1682, at 6, and as buried on the 28th, in St. Mary Woolnoth’s. Pepys commemorated him in the form of an epitaph, thus:—

(If he had survived for twelve days more, he would have attained the age of 90.) Bishop Burnet printed a funeral sermon containing much information. He records his surviving to such a great age, although in his 43d year he received severe injuries from a gunpowder explosion which occured at a militia drill near Moorfields. The sermon was dedicated “To the Most Honoured Master {Peter, James, John, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Jeremiah} Houblon, sons of the deceased Mr. James